Sustainable landfill design for effective municipal solid waste management for resource and energy recovery

Abstract

Municipal solid waste disposal poses a serious issue to the environment and human health. Technical measures along with management actions are essential for sustainable management of municipal solid waste. Design of engineered landfill is considered as technical measures and management measures such as segregation of waste as organic and inorganic can be considered as an effective waste management strategy. The present study aims to investigate Municipal Solid Waste landfill parameters to design an engineered landfill. The primary objective was to reduce the negative effects of municipal solid waste on the environment by designing an engineered landfill that complies with the technical requirements. A proper site has been chosen to dump the solid waste generated in Muscat by analyzing the geology, lineament, and contour map of the study area. The proposed landfill is located in Al Jafnayn, Muscat Governorate, Sultanate of Oman. The proposed landfill area is around 72,890 m2. The design of a conventional landfill without segregation of waste fails to reach the goal of resource recovery and energy generation. The present study suggests a modified landfill design with organic and inorganic cells useful for biomass energy recovery and compost generation. The landfill area is stratified into organic and inorganic cells to reach the goal of resource recovery and energy generation. The compost generated from the segregated cells can be used for agriculture which will reduce the usage of fertilizers, enhances country economical condition and protect the environment from pollution. The leachate collection drainage system has been designed by assessing the quantity and volume of leachate by using the Swiss method. Proper solid waste management is necessary for energy recovery and thereby reduces the pollution load to the environment.